Epocrates, a provider of clinical information and decision making support software tools to healthcare professionals, announced that its free Epocrates Rx software has been ranked as the most popular downloaded software application in the health and fitness category.

 

Launched in July 2008, Epocrates Rx software is a free hand-held professional drug guide software application that was specially designed for the iPhone (News - Alert) platform. Epocrates has estimated that nearly 50,000 U.S. physicians, including many healthcare professionals and consumers, have downloaded this free drug and formulary reference application on their Apple (News - Alert) iPhone or iPod Touch device, in just four months.

 

Epocrates’s subscription-based services facilitate healthcare professionals to make more informed medical decisions, reduce medical errors and practice more efficiently, said the company.

 

The Epocrates Rx software application, which contains professional medical information including a drug guide, formulary information and drug interaction checker, was developed by healthcare professionals and is currently formatted for mobile devices that include Apple iPhone, BlackBerry (News - Alert), Windows Mobile, Palm, and Windows smartphones. It provides on-demand drug information for healthcare professionals for reference, during a patient’s consultation. It also includes continual free updates and medical news.

 

With the help of Epocrates Rx software, a physician can look up the correct dosing for a new medication, or enter a patient’s list of drugs to check for potentially harmful interactions, all on his hand-held device, which Epocrates supports. The software application also has a pill identifier tool, which helps physicians to solve/identify the mystery pills that patients bring in or cannot recall by name. Even the photos of the pills along with the required information are included in the tool.

 

“Epocrates is my ‘killer app’ for the iPhone. The drug information is concise, the pill photos are clear and well-rendered, and the clinical messages are always timely,” said Dr. Alan Koenigsberg. “It's a five-star program I recommend to physicians in all specialties, and to the general public who want reliable current medication information.”

 

“The early adoption and reception of our iPhone application has been phenomenal,” said Kirk Loevner, chairman and chief executive officer of Epocrates. “Physicians appreciate how we have capitalized on the iPhone’s advanced capabilities with the Epocrates Rx software, particularly the powerful processor, rich graphics and large storage capacity.”

 

Epocrates also has plans to launch its premium Epocrates Essentials software application, which is a drug, disease and diagnostic guide specially designed for iPhone and iPod touch devices. The application is expected to be launched in early 2009.

 

Epocrates also said that it continues to develop enhanced software applications for the Apple platform and will provide new and continual software updates for the existing applications. This will enhance the company tool’s usability, thereby helping users to easily receive automatic updates for its clinical content that ensures physicians to always have current information at their fingertips.

 

“We are continuing to innovate on the iPhone,” said Loevner. “We will broaden the range of content and tools we provide to healthcare professionals, while providing a rich and compelling user experience.”